The Winter of Our Discontent
Erratic
Honest
Surprising

The Winter of Our Discontent

The final novel of one of America’s most beloved writers—a tale of degeneration, corruption, and spiritual crisis In awarding John Steinbeck the 1962 Nobel Prize in Literature, the Nobel committee stated that with The Winter of Our Discontent, he had “resumed his position as an independent expounder of the truth, with an unbiased instinct for what is genuinely American.” Ethan Allen Hawley, the protagonist of Steinbeck’s last novel, works as a clerk in a grocery store that his family once owned. With Ethan no longer a member of Long Island’s aristocratic class, his wife is restless, and his teenage children are hungry for the tantalizing material comforts he cannot provide. Then one day, in a moment of moral crisis, Ethan decides to take a holiday from his own scrupulous standards. Set in Steinbeck’s contemporary 1960 America, the novel explores the tenuous line between private and public honesty, and today ranks alongside his most acclaimed works of penetrating insight into the American condition. This Penguin Classics edition features an introduction and notes by leading Steinbeck scholar Susan Shillinglaw. For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Sign up to use

Reviews

Photo of Andrew John Kinney
Andrew John Kinney@numidica
4 stars
Aug 18, 2023
Photo of Ioana Kardos
Ioana Kardos@ioanakardos
4 stars
Feb 11, 2023
Photo of raviyah anderson <3
raviyah anderson <3@raviwren
5 stars
Apr 3, 2022
Unique
Honest
Surprising
Photo of Janet Doré
Janet Doré@vistacanas
5 stars
Jul 28, 2021
Photo of Eugene
Eugene@jujinjujeen
5 stars
Jul 19, 2024
Erratic
Touching
Photo of jo
jo@jlnsoh
4 stars
May 19, 2024
Photo of Gabe Cortez
Gabe Cortez@gabegortez
5 stars
Jul 6, 2022
Photo of Ricky Burgess
Ricky Burgess@rrricky
4 stars
Apr 2, 2024
Photo of Brock
Brock@brock
5 stars
Jan 3, 2024
Photo of logan chung
logan chung@lchungr
4 stars
Nov 17, 2023
Photo of Vanda
Vanda@moonfaced
4 stars
Oct 16, 2023
Photo of Michelle Jolliffe
Michelle Jolliffe@michelleee
4 stars
Aug 29, 2023
Photo of Georgi Mitrev
Georgi Mitrev@gmitrev
5 stars
Jul 4, 2023
Photo of Cat Josephson
Cat Josephson@themorrigan12
3 stars
Mar 1, 2023
Photo of Ben Radford
Ben Radford@ben_radford
3 stars
Dec 24, 2022
Photo of Charles McNeilll
Charles McNeilll@charlesmcneill
4 stars
Nov 28, 2022
Photo of A.L.L.
A.L.L.@alice_is_alces
4 stars
Sep 18, 2022
Photo of Kevin. j Mercil
Kevin. j Mercil @kevlar
3 stars
Aug 28, 2022
Photo of Arron Kau
Arron Kau@arronkau
3 stars
Aug 15, 2022
Photo of Radimir Bitsov
Radimir Bitsov@radibit
5 stars
Jul 31, 2022
Photo of Laura Kehoe
Laura Kehoe@laurakehoe
4 stars
Feb 10, 2022
Photo of Robyn Campbell
Robyn Campbell@robyncampbell
4 stars
Feb 9, 2022
Photo of Safiya
Safiya @safiya-epub
5 stars
Jan 25, 2022
Photo of Chris Poore
Chris Poore@thepoorehouse
5 stars
Jan 16, 2022